Wheat breads
Aldi Split Top Wheat Bread
Score
- Ultra-processed
- Contains added sugars
- Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
- Contains seed oils
- May contain traces of 1,4-dioxane
- Contains whole grains
Why it scores 26
Aldi Split Top Wheat Bread scores 26 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 20 points Honey: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.
Better sliced bread
-
Split Top Wheat Bread L'oven Fresh · 20 oz No added sugars · No seed oils Score 67 out of 100 , 41 points higher -
Honey Wheat Bread L'oven Fresh · 20 oz Not ultra-processed · No gut-studied emulsifiers Score 68 out of 100 , 42 points higher -
Sourdough Cracked Wheat San Luis Sourdough · 680 g Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 90 out of 100 , 64 points higher -
Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread The Rustik Oven · 680 g Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 90 out of 100 , 64 points higher -
Cracked Wheat Sourdough Bread Trader Joe's · 24 oz Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 86 out of 100 , 60 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Split Top Wheat Bread
Ingredients
- Sugar minus 20 points
- Honey minus 20 points
- Wheat gluten minus 2.5 points
- Soybean oil minus 1.5 points
- Sodium stearoyl lactylate minus 1.5 points
- Calcium stearoyl lactylate minus 1.5 points
- Mono- and diglycerides minus 0.5 points
- Calcium peroxide minus 0.5 points
- DATEM minus 0.5 points
- Ethoxylated mono- and diglycerides minus 0.5 points
- Calcium phosphate minus 0.5 points
- Soy lecithin minus 0.5 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 2 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 1.5 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Sugars 7.7 g / 100 g minus 3 points
- Salt 1.1 g / 100 g minus 3 points
- Energy 269 kcal / 100 g minus 1 points
- Protein 11.5 g / 100 g plus 2 points
100 − 74.5 = 25.5 → 26
Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 269 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 1.9 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 50 g |
| Sugars | 7.7 g |
| Added sugars | 7.7 g |
| Protein | 11.5 g |
| Salt | 1.1 g |
Ingredients
- UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR Facts (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, Jutrition 22 servings per container Serving size 1 slice (26g) WHEAT GLUTEN, SUGAR, WHEAT BRAN, CONTAINS 2% REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID)
- WATER
- WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR
- HONEY (high concern)
- OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: YEAST
- SOY FLOUR
- CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR
- SALT
- SOYBEAN OIL
- DOUGH CONDITIONERS (SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, CALCIUM IODATE, DATEM, ETHOXYLATED MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, ENZYMES, ASCORBIC ACID)
- CALCIUM SULFATE
- MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE
- SOY LECITHIN
- SALT
- NIACIN
- REDUCED IRON
- THIAMIN MONONITRATE
- RIBOFLAVIN
- FOLIC ACID
- CALCIUM CARBONATE
Label text, as published
UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR Facts (WHEAT FLOUR, MALTED BARLEY FLOUR, NIACIN, Jutrition 22 servings per container Serving size 1 slice (26g) WHEAT GLUTEN, SUGAR, WHEAT BRAN, CONTAINS 2% REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID), WATER, WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR, HONEY, OR LESS OF EACH OF THE FOLLOWING: YEAST, SOY FLOUR, CULTURED WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, SOYBEAN OIL, DOUGH CONDITIONERS (CONTAINS ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING: SODIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, CALCIUM STEAROYL LACTYLATE, MONOGLYCERIDES, MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, DISTILLED MONOGLYCERIDES, CALCIUM PEROXIDE, CALCIUM IODATE, DATEM, ETHOXYLATED MONO-AND DIGLYCERIDES, ENZYMES, ASCORBIC ACID), CALCIUM SULFATE, MONOCALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMIN MONONITRATE, RIBOFLAVIN, FOLIC ACID, CALCIUM CARBONATE. CONTAINS: WHEAT, SOY. MAY CONTAIN SESAME. NO Artificial Flavors or Colors NO High Fructose Corn Syrup Amount per serving Calories Total Fat 0.5g Saturated Fat Og Trans Fat Og Polyunsaturated Fat Og Monounsaturated Fat Og Protein 3g Vitamin D 0mcg 0% Iron 1mg 6% Thiamin 0.2mg 15% Niacin 1.3mg 8% Cholesterol Omg Sodium 110mg Total Carbohydrate 13g Dietary Fiber less than 1g Total Sugars 2g Includes 2g Added Sugars 4% 70 % Daily Value* 1% 0% ● 0% 5% 5% 2% Calcium 50mg 4% Potassium 0mg 0% Riboflavin 0.1mg 8% • Folate 55mcg DFE 15% (30 mcg Fclic Acid) ● The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Allergens and diets
Contains: Soy, Wheat, Gluten
May contain: Sesame
- Not vegan
- Not gluten-free
- Palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
Sources
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Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
“In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”
who.int
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Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
“Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”
cdn.realfood.gov
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Added and free sugars should be as low as possible
“Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
“replacement of saturated fat in the diet with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes.”
doi.org
-
“These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”
doi.org
-
“This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”
doi.org
-
Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives
“The available studies did not raise any concern with regard to genotoxicity.”
doi.org
-
2. List of Permitted Flour Treatment Agents (Lists of Permitted Food Additives)
“A.4 Azodicarbonamide n/a (a) Bread (a) Flour treatment agent (a) 45 ppm of the flour n/a”
canada.ca
-
EFSA issues new advice on phosphates
“We estimated that dietary exposure to phosphates may exceed the new ADI for infants, toddlers and children with average consumption of phosphates in their diet.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
“For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”
who.int
-
“Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”
doi.org
-
Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome
“carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”
doi.org
-
“Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”
doi.org
-
1,4-Dioxane in Cosmetics: A Manufacturing Byproduct
“1,4-dioxane forms as a byproduct during the manufacturing process of certain cosmetic ingredients.”
fda.gov
-
Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)
monographs.iarc.who.int